Taping machine



H. L. COHEN TAPING MACHINE July 8, 1941.

Filed March 30, 1958 A IN-VENTOR Hartl/olf). Cohe ma@ mw/- 22d/nw ATTORNEYSV Patented July 8,1941

Harry L. Cohen, New York, N.

S at 8 Corrugated Paper Machin a corporation of New York Brooklyn, N. Y.,

Y.. asslgnor to ery Co., Inc..

Application March 30, 1938, Serial No. 198,979

6 Claims.

My invention relates to devices for automatically taping the seams of paper boxes, cartons, or the like. and is particularly directed to mechanism for cutting the tape to the proper lengths.

In machines of the class under consideration, it is preferable to deliver the tape to the carton seam in strips of definite length, and to allow sufiicient time between delivery of each successive strip to permit the successive cartons to be brought into position, to receive the tape. In accordance with my present invention I provide novel electro-mechanical arrangements for au- A cam 24 is mounted on control shaft III and friction disk 25. Friction disk 25 rotates friction pinion 23 slidably mounted on shaft 3I with key 33. Shaft 3| is fitted `with bevel gear 50 which engages with bevel gear 32 of shaft 34. Through pulley 35 and belt 36 shaft 34 turns pulley 31 on shaft 33. Rotation of shaft 38 causes the rotation of feed pulley 40 and idle pulley 4I,

tomatically controlling the feeding action of the tape onto a predetermined portion of an advancing. carton, and for properly severing the tape in the required lengths.

It is an object of my invention to provide a novel automatic tape-cutting mechanism of simple construction.

Another object of my invention is to provide a novel automatic tape-cutting mechanism which is simply and accurately adjustable.

Still another object of my invention is to provide novel means for automatically cutting the tape to the length to be used for each cycle of carton seaming.

A further object of my invention is to provide novel electro-mechanical means for automatically determining the interval between successive cycles of taping.

These and other objects of my invention will become more apparent in the following description o f a preferred embodiment thereof taken in connection with the drawing in which:

Figure 1 is a general view of one embodiment of my invention, shown in perspective.

Figure 2 is a detailed enlarged view of my novel electrical contactor arrangement as taken through section 2-2 of Figure l.

Figure 3 is an enlarged detail view of the feed pulley mechanism as taken through section 3--3 of Figure 1.

Referring now to Fig. l, a control shaft I is rotated by pulley I I and belt I2 from pulley I3 on driving shaft I4. vControl shaft I0 carries clutch I5. Clutch I5 is controlled by stop IE, which is held in position by the arm I9, pivoted at I8, and spring I'I. Clutch I5 is preferably of the Well-known single revolution over-running.

type, which permits the pulley II to rotate without driving control shaft III until the stop I 6 is moved away from the clutch, whereupon the clutch rotates shaft I0 one complete revolution.

I have found that when stop I6 is suddenly brought to bear against the clutch I5 to stop its rotation, considerable back-lash is developed. I therefore prefer to use a notched disk' 20 with pawl 2l pivoted at 23 and held against disk 20 by spring 22, to prevent reverse rotation of the shaft I0. l

at a rate determined by the distance of the friction pinion 26 from the center of the friction pulley 25; the greater the distance, the greater the speed. 'I'hus the strip of tape 43 is fed from the roll of tape 42 at a constant rate. 'I'his rate of feed may be adjusted to suit the length of strips to be used by means of the handle 43 having threaded end 5I engaging with the bearing nut 52. Nut 52 alters the center distance between pulleys 25 and 23 along the keyed part of the shaft 3|.

After being unwound from roll 42 by the feed pulleys lll-4I, tape 43 passesl between pulleys 44-45 which permit it to form a loop 46. Tape 43 then passes around guide pulley 63 and moistening roller 64 which rotates` in liquid container 65, and finally to the feed pulleys I0-1I. Tape 43 is of a type well known in the art, preferably a paper strip having adhesive material on one side thereof. Moistener 64--65 serves to wet the adhesive to permit the seam joining action of tape 43 in a manner well known.

Pulleys 'I0-II perform two functions, namely that of guiding the end of the tape to its proper position at the beginning of the seam to be taped, as well as that of feeding a predetermined length of tape to the seam prior to its being cut-off by shear blade 6I. Pulley 'I0 is the idler pulley. Pulley 'II, on shaft 'I2, is rotated by pinion 'I3 which engages with rack 14. Rack 'I4 is moved in the direction of the arrow once during each revolution of the clutch I5 by means of cam-24 which is brought to bear against cam' follower 13. Spring I5.acts in a direction to oppose the rack motion due to cam 24. Shaft T2 is thus activated to move -in an intermittent rc ciprocatory manner.

To prevent reverse rotation of the feed pulleys Ill-1I, the rotation of pulley 'II is made unidirectional by a ratchet incorporated within said pulley. Details of the mechanism of pulley 1I are shown in Figure 3, which is a cross-sectional view through 3-3 of Figure 1. Ratchet 85, secured to shaft 12, is acted upon by pawl a which is mounted on the rim of the roller 1I. Clockwise rotation of the shaft 'I2 causes roller 1I to rotate therewith, causing tape 43 to be fed in the direction of the arrow, as shown. Reversal of direction of rotation of the shaft 'I2 has no effect on the roller 'II since the pawl 85a slips on ratchet 85, and accordingly there is no effect on the movement of tape 43.

In Figure 1, I have shown a conveyor belt 34 on which cartons 33 are moved in succession. The cartons first pass under roller 3i. Roller 8| is used to ailix the forward end of wetted tape 43 to the beginning of the seam 35, and', as the box 33 is moved in the it presses the tape firmly onto seam 35 to seal it. Conveyor belt or belts 34 are carried at one end by roller 32 (Fig. 2) driven by shaft I4 from drive pulley I3. Shaft 33 drives pressure roller 3| through the intermeshing gears 35.

A control disk 54 is secured to one end of control shaft Io by a locking nut 55. Since drive shaft I4 is coupled to control shaft I0 by belt I2l motion of conveyor belts 34 and the rollers 3-32 is accompanied by rotation of control disk 54. Disk 54 contans a peripheral notch 53. Graduations marked on the face of disk 54 enable an operator to manually adjust the angular position of notch 53 relative to the control shaft III. Cooperative with control disk 54 is a lever arm 56, pivoted at 59 containing a projection 53. A spring 51 biases projection 53 into continuous contact with the periphery of disk 54. When notch 53 passes under projection 53, projection 53 moves into notch 53 causing lever 55 to drop. Lever 53 communicates its movement to shearing blade 5I Link 60 is pivoted at 52 to one end of lever 56, and connected to blade 5I at 51. Thus the end of tape 43 which has been applied to the surface of the box 83 by the roller 3| may be severed at any predetermined length. The proper length of -tape 43 for application to the seam, or any other length desired, is determined by the angular position of notch 53 on disk 54 with respect to shaft I0.

In order to synchronize the operations of feeding the tape 43 by rollers 1li-1I, the unwinding of the tape from its roll 42 by rollers 404I, and the cutting of the tape to the proper length by blade 5I, I have provided a new and novel means for automatically starting said operations at the instant that the box 80 has reached the correct position relative to the roller 3|, said means constituting one of the features ofl my invention. An electrical contacting mechanism 90, having projecting member 3| is adjustably mounted by set-screw III on a graduated strip IIo. Wires 94 and 33, establish electrical connections at 35 with a source of electrical power (not shown). Electrical contactor 30 is in circuit with solenoid 92, having an armature 93 mechanically coupled to arm I3 which operates clutch stop I5.

When box 83 strikes the projecting trip lever 9| of electrical contactor 9B, the electrical circuit is completed through the winding of the solenoid $2. Armature 93 is thus energized to disengage stop I5 from clutch I5, permitting one complete rotation of clutch I5. Stop I3 thereupon reengages the clutch I5, automatically resetting the feed and cutting mechanisms for the next cycle of operations on a box in line on conveyor belt 34. T'he taped box passes over trip lever 9| and under the pressure rollers 96 as indicated by box 33'. Box 83' has a strip of tape |33 which is press sealed by rollers 36.

Preferred mechanismvfor the electrical contactor is illustrated in detail in Figure 2, which is an enlarged view corresponding to a section taken along 2-2 in Figure 1. Here, the projecting trip lever 9| is shown pivoted at |35 having a curved end |51 holding contact arm |32, 'pivoted at IIIB in an open position against the tenby means of connecting link SIL direction of the arrows.

sion of spring |54. lContact Ill is stationary with respect to the unitlll. The electrical circuit between leads l4-l4 is completed when the trip lever 3|, normally held upright by spring IUI, is moved to the position indicated in dotted by 9|' by advancing box Il. Lever Il keeps the Y electrical circuit closed at contacts I32-I33, and

the solenoid 32 energized while the carton 3l is being taped and passed above the lever.

I shall now trace through the operations of the mechanism of the preferred embodiment of my invention: The forward edge of the advancing carton blank 30 having the linear region 3l to be sealed by moistened tape 43, abuts a projecting trip lever 3l. Lever 8l, normally biased by spring IIII to maintain contacts I02I33 in open position, is moved to the dotted position 9|' permitting contacts |32-I03 to close under the action of spring |04. Completion of circuit I02-I33 energizes the electrical solenoid 32 which moves the stop lever I9 away from single revolution clutchl I5. Clutch I5 accordingly engages control shaft Ill withthe driving pulley II, causing cam 24 to operate rack 14 against spring 15.

The movement of rack 14 rotates pinion 13 which drives feed rollers 10--1I to advance tape 43 a predetermined amount. Shaft 12 connecting pinion 13 and roller 1I is rotatably and fixedly mounted upon the machine. 'I'he rotation of pinion 13 by rack Il causes roller 1I to revolve and advance tape 43 towards roller BI. 'Ihe mechanism is designed to produce an initial movement of tape 43 by the motion of rack 14, sufficient to reach thecarton 30 at the position of roller 8l. The hereinabove slack portion 45 in the tape circuit, is utilized to permit the preliminary advancement of the forward edge of the tape by the means herein explained, and is adjusted by the hand lever 49 hereinabove described.

Moistened tape 43 is thus started in the proper position with respect to the forward edge of the region 35 to be sealed. The position of the contactor 50, determined with the aid of gauge IIII, depends upon the distance of the forward edge of region with respect to the forward edge of the carton 33 as will now be understood. The length of the tape 43 is predetermined by the setting of disk 54 to properly correspond to the length of the linear region 85 to be sealed. 'I'he predetermined length of the tape 43 is accurately determined by the cutting mechanism; a scale on disk 54 indicates the lengths. as determined l by the coaction of notch 53 with lever 5B. The

rotation of control shaft I0 at a predetermined rate with respect to the feeding rate of tape 43 accordingly accurately predetermines the instant of shearing by the blades 5I55 as will now be evident to those skilled in the art.

Electrical contactor is maintained in closed position while the carton 80 passes over it. The cartons are fed in a spaced relationship permitting contactor SI to reach its upright position preceding each taping operation.. to properly institute a new cutting cycle. When lever. 3| is "again up-right, contacts I02-I03 are separated,

opening the electrical circuit to the solenoid 32. Armature 93 is accordingly deenergized permitting the single revolution clutch I5 to become disengaged at the completion of its revolution. Cam 20 and lever 2I prevent any back-lashing action in a manner hereinabove described to permit accurate control of the mechanisms.

Although I have described a preferred manner for carrying out my `invention, I am aware that modifications are entirely feasible in the physical construction thereof and accordingly I do not intend to be limited except as set forth in the following claims.

I claim:

l. In apparatus for applying tape to successive moving cartons, means for feeding the tape, means for applying the tape and means for cutting olf lengths of tape, 4electromechanical means for cyclically initiating said operations, comprising a member set in the path of the cartons hav-v ing a projecting portion arranged to be abutted by the forward edge of a'carton and be removed from the carton path, said member being spring biased towards abutting position for automatic resetting between passage of the cartons, said cutting means being operable upon the comple tion of the tape feeding and applying operations .and comprising a blade, spring biased toward cutting position; said blade being retained in normally open position against the bias of the spring; vsaid electromechanically operated means eiecting the release of said blade from said retaining means; said blade being immediately reset for the next cutting operation.

2. In apparatus for applying tape to successive moving cartons, means for feeding the tape, ymeans for applying the tape and 'means for cutting' off lengthsof tape, electromechanical means for cyclically initiating said operations; clutch means associated with said mechanisms for starting and stopping said mechanisms; solenoid means for engaging and disengaging said clutch means; an electrical switch in circuit with said solenoid means; means whereby 4 said solenoid means is energized while a carton abuts and passes across said member; said cutting means being operable upon the completion of the tape feeding and applying operations and comprising a blade, spring biased toward cutting position; said blade being retained in normally open position against the bias of the spring; said electromechanically operated means effecting the release` of said blade from said retaining means; said blade being immediately reset for the next cutting operation.V

3. In apparatus forapplying tape to successive moving cartons, .means for feeding the tape, means for applying the tape and means for cutting olf Vlengths of tape. electromechanical means for cyclically initiating said operations,

comprising a member set in the path of the cari tons; having a. projecting portion arranged to be abutted by the forward edge of a. carton; clutch means associated with said mechanisms for starting and stopping said mechanisms; so1e- 'noid means for engaging and disengaging said clutch means; an electrical switch in circuit with said solenoid means normally spring biased towards circuit closing position, said switch being normally maintained open by said member; said cutting means being operable upon thecompletion of the tape feeding and applying operations and comprising a blade. spring biased toward 7 cutting position; said blade being retained in comprising a blade.

normally open position against the bias of the* spring; said electromechanically operated means electing the release of said blade from said retaining means; 'said blade being immediately reset for the next cutting operation.

4.' In apparatus for applying tape lto successive moving cartons, means for feeding the tape, means for applying the tape and feeding said tape;

disposed in the path of said arranged to be abutted by the forward edge of means for cutting oil' lengths of tape, electromechanical means for cyclically initiating said operations comprising a member set inthe path of the cartons having a projecting portion arranged to be abutted by the forward edge of a carton and be removed from the carton path, said member being spring biased towards abutting position for automatically resetting between passage of the cartons; clutch means associated with said mechanisms for starting and stopping said mechanisms; solenoid means for engaging and disengaging said clutch means; an electrical switch in circuit with said solenoid means, normally spring biased towards circuit closing position. said switch being normally maintained open by said member, whereby said solenoid means is energized While a carton abuts and passes across said member, said clutch thereupon causing said mechanism to operate during the passage of a carton, said cutting means being operable upon the completion of the tape feeding and applying operations and comprising a, blade, spring biased toward cutting position; said blade being retained in normally open position against the bias of the spring; said electromechanically operated means effecting the release of said blade from said retaining means; said blade being immediately reset for the next cutting operation.

5. In a tape applying mechanism, means for means for applying said tape to a moving member; means for cutting said tape to a length corresponding to the length of said member, all of said means being operated from the same power source; the operation of all of said means being simultaneously electromechanically initiated and terminated by circuit closing means comprising a projecting member disposed in the path of said moving. member and arranged to be abutted by the forward edge of said moving member and be removed from said path, comprising a blade, spring biased toward cutting position; said blade being retained in normally open position against thebias of the spring; said electromechanically operated means eecting the release of said blade from said retaining means: said blade being immediately reset for the next cutting operation.

6. In a. tape applying mechanism, means for feeding said tape; means for applying said tape to a moving member; means for cutting said tape to -a length corresponding to the length of said member, all of said means being operated from the same power source; the operation of all of said means being simultaneously electromechanically initiatedV and terminated by circuit closing means comprising a projecting member moving member and said moving member and be removed from said path; said projecting member remaining insaid removed position during the passage of said moving member; said member being spring biased toward abutting position for automatically resetting between -passage of moving members, l spring biased toward cutting position; said blade being retained in normally open position against the bias of the spring; said electromechanically operated means effecting the release of said -bladev from said'retaining means; saidv blade being the next cutting operation.

HARRY L. COHEN. i

immediately reset for` 

